The paths to creating change

All social enterprise has an element of change at its heart. But change can come in different ways. The root of change is a desire to “right the wrong”, “give voice to the voiceless”, “to do good” in some way for society as a whole. Those that advocate and desire such change have different paths they can take.

There is an “advocacy” path where the person is primarily focused on the need to give voice to the change and seeks to motivate others better positioned to action. Others, simply see the problem and the solutions that might address it and want to offer those solutions for others to action. Others again are driven to action and actively seek out the social enterprise route. Equally there are those who simply discover that this is the path they are on, not being aware of any particular moment when they consciously decided on their path.

Whatever the path, it is important that the person on it is comfortable with it -not feeling coerced towards a way others believe they should go. We believe a useful addition to our approach is something that shows people these options and the realities each of those journeys bring. To help people understand this and help them find the place of their choosing we are about to launch a “Gateway” programme designed in a simple workshop to think their way through these different options and decide what is their choice.

The passion that drives all change comes at a cost in terms of the personal energy it consumes. Helping people to find their way can only help both them personally and the change they desire.